Comments on: First Bike: New or Used? http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62/ Irreverent Motorcycle News & Safety Tips Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:59:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: arsenic http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62/comment-page-1/#comment-3763 arsenic Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:21:33 +0000 http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62#comment-3763 First bike? 250cc to 500cc depending on the size of the rider. If the bike is too small, he/she would be uncomfortable and therefore unsafe. 35 years and 165000 miles later, I still would not buy a new bike. (Maybe, if monies were of no concern) A new rider IS going to drop the bike, cause damage and it may be prudent to minimize financial loss and drop in resale value. I would recommend a year/ 10000 miles and work up to a bike that is more suitable for the rider. (taste/style/size) First bike? 250cc to 500cc depending on the size of the rider. If the bike is too small, he/she would be uncomfortable and therefore unsafe. 35 years and 165000 miles later, I still would not buy a new bike. (Maybe, if monies were of no concern) A new rider IS going to drop the bike, cause damage and it may be prudent to minimize financial loss and drop in resale value. I would recommend a year/ 10000 miles and work up to a bike that is more suitable for the rider. (taste/style/size)

]]> By: roy http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62/comment-page-1/#comment-3621 roy Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:57:52 +0000 http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62#comment-3621 to charly well i guess all the gear you wear in fl has fried your brain , comment 3 times same thing over and over..my fl it's 105 with 110% humid so full face fills with sweat in 1 hr. and you can drown going down the road in summer.....ya your right who would want a sport bike that handled, stoped, and went...lets stick with a crusier. and i do not know where in fl you are but in any part of central fl i ride every ones going 70-80 mph.cars & bikes. 250 ok that will last about a year then junk it..on i-4 / i-95 you would be dead in a week from behind [ never see it coming ] . its not 1970 dude no one is going to spend $4000 for a 250 that can't get out of its way.. hey who makes a 250 CRUSIER , kaw no ninja is a sport bike, honda whoa thats a sport bike, suzuki there you go death waiting to happen tu-250 can i go 65mph --- well not really....you have to start at 600 cc so you will not die /run over... and may be not have to sell it off like you did and take a loss $$$..600 just do not turn / twist that thing on the handle bar to far ...wow really duaaa to charly well i guess all the gear you wear in fl has fried your brain , comment 3 times same thing over and over..my fl it’s 105 with 110% humid so full face fills with sweat in 1 hr. and you can drown going down the road in summer…..ya your right who would want a sport bike that handled, stoped, and went…lets stick with a crusier. and i do not know where in fl you are but in any part of central fl i ride every ones going 70-80 mph.cars & bikes. 250 ok that will last about a year then junk it..on i-4 / i-95 you would be dead in a week from behind [ never see it coming ] . its not 1970 dude no one is going to spend $4000 for a 250 that can’t get out of its way.. hey who makes a 250 CRUSIER , kaw no ninja is a sport bike, honda whoa thats a sport bike, suzuki there you go death waiting to happen tu-250 can i go 65mph — well not really….you have to start at 600 cc so you will not die /run over… and may be not have to sell it off like you did and take a loss $$$..600 just do not turn / twist that thing on the handle bar to far …wow really duaaa

]]> By: Charly http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62/comment-page-1/#comment-3613 Charly Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:35:47 +0000 http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62#comment-3613 duplicate comment removed duplicate comment removed

]]> By: Charly http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62/comment-page-1/#comment-3612 Charly Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:31:25 +0000 http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62#comment-3612 duplicate comment removed duplicate comment removed

]]> By: Charly http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62/comment-page-1/#comment-3611 Charly Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:27:22 +0000 http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/first-bike/62#comment-3611 I am 76 years old and rode my first bike at the tender age of 15. It was homemade, a bicycle frame with a lawn mower engine, some sort of a brake and a centrifugal clutch. Ok, 60 years later I am now riding a Suzuki Intruder 1500 LC and in those intervening years, I have ridden or owned almost every type and size. My advice: Start Small and first of all be sure you can ride a bicycle before going with a motor for balance is everything, and by small I mean nothing larger than a 250cc. No, it you get the right one you won't be wanting to trade up soon. If you riding will be commuting, this is perfect. If you will be riding long distances...this is (while not perfect) very capable. A smaller less powerful bike will give you confidence later on when you do move up in size. I heartily recommend the Korean Hyosung GV250 Cruiser with its 75 deg V-Twin as it will maintain legal speeds all day even on the interstates and is butter smooth. At 70 mpg, it is economical and the seat is very comfortable while the longer frame allows for taller rider comfort. there are others of course, but in my personal experience this one works! No noobie needs the power and torque of a 500 cc to begin with...just too much power for someone who doesn't have a clue. And, of course take a training course. Here in FL it is required, but even if your State does not mandate the endorsement, do it anyway. Then spend time in a big vacant parking lot just practicing....slow speed turns....starts and panic stops...far away from real trouble. Always, and that means whenever your butt is in the seat and the motor running, wear a helmet. Nobody's head is as hard as asphalt and you don't look "cool" without one, you just look stupid! Long pants, gloves, eyewear, long sleeves even in the summer. 90 degree sun is nowhere as hot as road rash. Be sure you mount a windshield and wear only over-the-ankle boots. The riders who we see in flip-flops and shorts look to others about as dumb as those guys who wear their ball caps backwards! My wife and I rode Yamaha 250 exciters, loaded with camping gear, over the country in both winter and summer, from FL to NY, & every summer in the Smokies; so don't let anyone tell you it can't be done on a small bike....they just don't have a clue. HP and CC do not equate to capability. Most riding is done on 45 mph roads just rubbernecking anyway. Yes, now I feel confident with my big bike...but I spent years going up the scale from small to large, from a CB100 (we rode 2 up) thru a CB 350, CB500/4 (2 up from Ind to Fl and back on I-75) BMW R75, CM400C, CD175 Dream, etc., so I do believe my opinions have credibility. And, NO CROTCH ROCKETS until you have at least 20K on several different bikes, as you just are an accident looking for a place to happen. Hope this helps someone with their decisions before they become a notice in the obits..... I am 76 years old and rode my first bike at the tender age of 15. It was homemade, a bicycle frame with a lawn mower engine, some sort of a brake and a centrifugal clutch. Ok, 60 years later I am now riding a Suzuki Intruder 1500 LC and in those intervening years, I have ridden or owned almost every type and size. My advice: Start Small and first of all be sure you can ride a bicycle before going with a motor for balance is everything, and by small I mean nothing larger than a 250cc. No, it you get the right one you won’t be wanting to trade up soon. If you riding will be commuting, this is perfect. If you will be riding long distances…this is (while not perfect) very capable. A smaller less powerful bike will give you confidence later on when you do move up in size. I heartily recommend the Korean Hyosung GV250 Cruiser with its 75 deg V-Twin as it will maintain legal speeds all day even on the interstates and is butter smooth. At 70 mpg, it is economical and the seat is very comfortable while the longer frame allows for taller rider comfort. there are others of course, but in my personal experience this one works! No noobie needs the power and torque of a 500 cc to begin with…just too much power for someone who doesn’t have a clue.

And, of course take a training course. Here in FL it is required, but even if your State does not mandate the endorsement, do it anyway. Then spend time in a big vacant parking lot just practicing….slow speed turns….starts and panic stops…far away from real trouble. Always, and that means whenever your butt is in the seat and the motor running, wear a helmet. Nobody’s head is as hard as asphalt and you don’t look “cool” without one, you just look stupid! Long pants, gloves, eyewear, long sleeves even in the summer. 90 degree sun is nowhere as hot as road rash. Be sure you mount a windshield and wear only over-the-ankle boots. The riders who we see in flip-flops and shorts look to others about as dumb as those guys who wear their ball caps backwards!

My wife and I rode Yamaha 250 exciters, loaded with camping gear, over the country in both winter and summer, from FL to NY, & every summer in the Smokies; so don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done on a small bike….they just don’t have a clue. HP and CC do not equate to capability. Most riding is done on 45 mph roads just rubbernecking anyway.

Yes, now I feel confident with my big bike…but I spent years going up the scale from small to large, from a CB100 (we rode 2 up) thru a CB 350, CB500/4 (2 up from Ind to Fl and back on I-75) BMW R75, CM400C, CD175 Dream, etc., so I do believe my opinions have credibility.

And, NO CROTCH ROCKETS until you have at least 20K on several different bikes, as you just are an accident looking for a place to happen.

Hope this helps someone with their decisions before they become a notice in the obits…..

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